Disquiet
by Deandra
Summary: A rainy night brings turbulent emotions for Morwen. Fluffy little ONESHOT. Part 116 of the Elfwine Chronicles.


**_Part 116 of the Elfwine Chronicles. The Elfwine Chronicles are a series of one-shots built around the family group of Eomer, Lothiriel and Elfwine. The total number will depend on how many ideas I get for new vignettes._**

**_A/N: Ummm, it was a rainy night here. Beyond that, I have no idea what inspired this._**

**Disquiet**

**(40 IV)**

Caranhir rolled over in his sleep, automatically reaching for his wife as he did, only to discover her absence from their bed. He might have slept on had not a loud roll of thunder sounded just then, shaking the house. A flash of lightning came as he lay half awake, and he could see no sign of her in their bedchamber.

Curious, though not yet concerned, he rose with a groan to determine her whereabouts. Quietly he padded through the house, his bare feet occasionally slapping on the floor when he missed stepping on the rugs. There was no sign of her in the parlor, kitchen, his study or the library. His brow knit as he moved to the only unchecked room – the nursery.

She stood silently, staring down at the empty crib that awaited their first child in a scant month's time. The lightning flashes outside threw her silhouette into stark relief, making her appearance almost ghostly.

"Morwen?" he called softly.

She did not look up, so he moved into the room, stepping behind her to wrap her in his embrace as he settled his chin on her shoulder. "What are you doing?" he asked.

For several moments, she did not reply, and then she laconically answered, "Thinking."

It offered no explanation for her behavior, but he recognized that tone in her voice. Her mind was chewing on something that troubled her. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he steered her back to their bedchamber and settled her on the rug in front of the fire. Once he had added a log to stoke the blaze, he sat next to her. Lifting her into his lap, he snugged her close and kissed her head. "Thinking about what?" he asked.

For awhile, she said nothing, but then gradually her inner turmoil revealed itself, as he had known it would if he but bided his time.

"My mother…is an amazing woman, the most remarkable mother of my acquaintance. I…do not think I could ever be like her…." she murmured.

"I have news for you, my love," he whispered sincerely, "much as I admire the queen of Rohan, I never sought to marry her – or make her the mother of my children."

Morwen's head jerked up, from where she had been studiously staring at a fray in the rug, to gape at him for his remark. Seizing the opportunity, he leaned in and kissed her before adding, "Certainly you will want to emulate much of what you have seen your mother do, and do many things the way she did them, but you are nothing like Elfwine or Theodwyn, Theomund or Theodred. Neither will our children be identical to any others. Just as any mother, yours included, you will do the best you can and take things as they come. I will help if I can, and we will seek advice from those whose judgement we value when we are at a loss for how to proceed."

Morwen pondered his words for several moments, before laying her head in the crook of his neck. "I suppose you are right," she finally admitted, though he could tell their conversation was not yet ended.

They sat listening to the rain and thunder until at length Morwen confessed, "I am frightened, Caranhir. I…I do not want to fail you, fail our child."

His arms tightened around her and he huskily assured, "You will not, beloved. I would never let you fail. Together we will do this and succeed. I promise."

There was a tense silence, and then a ragged sigh escaped Morwen's lips as she relaxed in his arms, snuggling closer. He simply held her for a time, before finally suggesting, "Perhaps our bed would be more comfortable."

When she nodded, he helped her struggle to her feet. Before rising himself, he caught her by the waist as he knelt in front of her. As she looked down, he leaned forward and planted a kiss on her swollen belly, eliciting a giggle. In response, the baby shifted and Caranhir grinned up at his wife. "See? Our child agrees with me. You will be a wonderful mother!" He climbed to his feet and snared her lips in a loving kiss. As he pulled back, he added, "Just as you are a wonderful wife, beloved."

THE END

1/4/07

**_End note:  It is best that you read the Elfwine Chronicles in the order they were written. The more of them that I wrote, the more likely I was to make reference to one of the previous ones and something that happened there. If you want to read them in order, go to the top of this page and click on my name (Deandra). That will take you to my profile page. Scroll down and you will find all the stories I have written. The Elfwine Chronicles are in order from bottom to top since ffn shows them in the order they were posted. A few were posted out of number order, but you can read them in posting order or number order since those few won't be affected in the story content._**


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